Mobile communications technology has enjoyed substantial growth over the past decade. Many cars, trucks, airplanes, boats, and other vehicles are equipped with devices that allow convenient and reliable mobile communications using a network of satellite-based or land-based transceivers. Advances in this technology have also led to widespread use of hand-held, portable mobile communications devices.
Many customers of mobile communications systems desire an accurate determination of their expected time of arrival at a particular destination, and perhaps reporting of this time to a remote location. For example, a cellular telephone in a vehicle or carried by a person offers a convenient communication link to report expected time of arrival information. One method to determine an expected time of arrival uses the average travel time from a point of origin to a destination. This approach, however, may not be suitable for particular applications that require more accuracy and more frequent updates of an expected time of arrival.
Furthermore, transportation systems would benefit from a dispatching function that monitors and directs the travel route and expected time of arrival of its carriers. For example, dispatchers of long-haul or local vehicles desire a system that allows access to expected time of arrival information to make routing and dispatching decisions.